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The Tour de France may be one of the toughest endurance events an athlete can take part in, but when it comes to collecting their prize money after three weeks in the saddle riders are reminded of just how tough the sport really is.

While some footballers regularly earn enough in a month to fund entire cycling teams – those at UCI Continental level, at least – for a year, riders at the highest level in cycling remain relatively poorly paid.

To say being a professional cyclist is tough, cruel even, is an understatement of such magnitude it is difficult to comprehend when you consider what their footballing cousins trouser each week, golfers take home from majors or tennis players win at grand slams.

When Andy Murray won the men's singles at Wimbledon last summer, he pocketed £2 million for just 15 hours and 52 minutes play, or around £125,000 an hour. By contrast, the winner at this year's Tour will earn €500,000, or around £438,755, for cycling 3,540 kilometres (2,200 miles) over a gruelling three-week period.

When you consider that tradition dictates the winner hands over his earnings to team-mates in recognition of their hard work, you start to understand what winning the iconic yellow jersey really means.

The total pot of prize money handed out at this year's Tour is worth €2,280,950 and while the eventual winner takes the lion's share, there are plenty of other ways of earning a few extra euros.

In addition to what is handed out in Paris, the leader in general classification throughout the race can also earn €500 for each day spent in the yellow jersey, while the other jersey wearers get €300.

During each stage, too, there is money on offer at the intermediate sprints (€1,500, €1,000 and €500), while the top 14 finishers in each road stage or individual time trial wins €11,000, €5,500, €2,800, €1,500, €830, €780, €730, €670, €650, €600, €540, €470, €440 and €340 respectively while those that finish 15th-20th get €300.

The first rider over each categorised climb can boost their earnings too – €800 for hors catégorie, €650 for category one, €500 for category two, €300 for category three and €200 for category four. However, the biggest prize in the mountains is the Souvenir Henri Desgrange – the prize handed to the first rider over the summit of the Col du Galibier, the highest point in this year's race – which is worth €5,000.

Whoever wins the daily combativity award during each road stage gets €2,000 each day while the overall ‘super combativity’ prize winner trousers €20,000.

Finally, riders can also earn WorldTour points throughout the three-week race, either from placing in the top five of each stage, the top 60 of the final general classification, taking a podium spot in Paris in the points or mountains classifications or wearing the yellow jersey.